Authorities have intensified their crackdown on illegal bird trappings, issuing €239,770 in fines and securing the convictions of 55 suspects following reports issued on Thursday.

The committee against bird slaughter (CABS), released new data detailing the scale of its operations between September 10 and November 25.

According to CABS, between two and four field teams were deployed daily during the autumn migration season to identify active trapping sites across the island.

Working alongside police with the game and fauna service, conservationists conducted 75 joint operations, targeting both illegal trappers and hunters violating wildlife regulations.

Authorities seized or destroyed 1,547 lime sticks, 137 mist-nets and 89 electronic bird callers.

One of the season’s largest investigations – Operation Dead Air – was carried out by British broadcasters Chris Packham and Meghan McCubbin.

The campaign exposed industrial-scale trapping inside a fenced valley near Maroni, where masked men were filmed threatening activists.

After Packham and McCubbin publicly accused local authorities of inaction, police launched criminal proceedings and executed multiple search warrants, leading to significant seizures of dead protected birds and €157,000 in fines linked to the so-called “Trikkis” gangs.

CABS praised the police, highlighting quicker response times and a more assertive stance against long-established poaching networks.

“We are pleased to finally see the police take firm action against criminals who have been ‘untouchable’ for so many years,” said CABS president Karl-Heinz Kreutzer, adding that the season sent “a strong message” that offenders will face consequences.

The NGO says the intensified enforcement represents one of the most effective anti-poaching operations in Cyprus in recent years.